#(and 2311 hours)

[kaiserouo]

wip

i like that side look eye too much i need to spread this to the world

[luvst4rc0r3]

CAN YOU DO A JINX X READER FIC BUT READER IS PREGNANT AND LIKE SHE DOESNT KNOW HOW TO TELL JINX.

IF YOU DO IT TYYYYYY❤️❤️

“Two Pink Lines”

Jinx x F!Reader

WARNINGS: Mention of abortion?

WC:2311

NOTE: established relationship.

Your POV

You had been pacing the tiny space of your shared room for the last ten minutes, the little pregnancy test feeling like a bomb in your hands.

Your heart was pounding so hard it made your head hurt. You knew this wasn’t something you could just ignore—Jinx deserved to know. But saying it out loud? Actually forming the words? That felt impossible.

“Hey, Jinx, so, funny story—I’m pregnant.”

Nope. Too casual.

“Jinx, I have something to tell you… I’m having a baby.”

Too dramatic.

“Surprise! You knocked me up!”

Oh, hell no.

You groaned, dragging a hand down your face. Every option sounded worse than the last. There was no way this wouldn’t shake her, no way this wouldn’t send her brain spinning in all directions. Jinx wasn’t bad with emotions—she just didn’t always know what to do with them. And this? This was big.

You had seen how uneasy she was lately, the way she watched you with that nervous, twitchy energy. She knew something was up, but instead of pressing, she’d let it fester, probably assuming the worst.

Jinx had been through too much, lost too many people, and she had this awful habit of thinking everything was her fault. And you had not been helping, avoiding her questions, brushing off her concerns, all because you didn’t know how to say it.

That had to stop.

You exhaled sharply.

You needed to tell her. But you also knew that telling her face-to-face might make it worse.

Jinx was all reaction—she acted before thinking, emotions bubbling over before she could grab hold of them. If you just told her, there was a chance she’d shut down, that panic would take over before she even had time to process.

But if you left the test somewhere she’d find it, without the pressure of you standing there waiting for a reaction… maybe that would help.

Your eyes landed on her workshop.

That’s it.

She was always working on something, always tinkering with gadgets and bombs. Her workbench was her safe space—the one place she could think things through. If you left the test there, she’d have time to work through the shock before she had to deal with you staring at her, waiting for an answer.

Decision made, you swallowed hard and forced yourself to move.

Jinx wasn’t in the workshop, which was perfect. You stepped inside, ignoring the usual chaos of scattered blueprints and half-finished projects, and placed the pregnancy test dead center on her workbench.

She wouldn’t miss it.

You took a shaky step back, staring at the little plastic stick like it might suddenly shout the news for you.

This was the best way. You had to believe that.

Taking a deep breath, you turned and walked out. You’d give her a couple of hours—enough time to let her mind run in circles, freak out, and hopefully settle before you came back.

You just had to hope she wouldn’t blow anything up in the process.

‧͙*˚⁺‧͙ㅤ ওㅤㅤֺㅤ ⠀⠀✧ ⠀ ㅤֺㅤ ওㅤ ㅤ*̩̩͙‧͙*˚⁺ ͙

Jinx’s POV

Jinx felt like her skin didn’t fit right.

Something was wrong.

You were gone again, and she had no idea where or why. You kept sneaking off, looking at her like she was some kind of fragile bomb that might explode if you said the wrong thing.

She hated it.

Hated not knowing.

Hated the pit of anxiety gnawing at her stomach.

She stomped into her workshop, muttering to herself, fingers twitching at her sides. Maybe she could work on something, blow off some steam, keep her hands busy before she—

Her eyes landed on her workbench.

Jinx froze.

There, right in the middle of the mess, was something that didn’t belong. A little box.

Her brows furrowed. She stepped closer, picking it up and flipping it over in her hands. The words on the front made her stomach drop.

Pregnancy Test.

Her breath hitched.

That wasn’t—

No way.

She ripped the box open, fingers fumbling as she pulled out the little plastic stick inside.

Two pink lines.

Her heart stopped.

She stared at it, willing the lines to disappear, to change, to be anything else.

Two lines meant—

It meant—

Jinx’s breath came fast and shallow, her grip tightening around the test. Her thoughts were spiraling too fast to grab onto.

You were pregnant.

With her baby.

Her lungs felt too tight. Her hands were shaking. The world tilted, her brain screaming at her to do something, but she didn’t even know what.

This was why you’d been acting weird. This was why you were avoiding her, why you looked so nervous every time she got too close.

Oh.

Oh, shit.

Did you think she’d be mad? Did you think she wouldn’t want this?

Jinx stumbled back, almost knocking over a pile of scrap metal.

A baby. A tiny, fragile thing that would need her, to touch her, to need her warmth.

Her.

Jinx.

A girl who broke everything she touched.

She squeezed her eyes shut, sucking in a sharp breath. No, no, don’t go there, don’t—

Her brain wanted to run, to slip into that dark, gnawing place where she wasn’t enough, where she couldn’t be enough. But another thought cut through the panic—sharp, insistent.

You hadn’t left.

You didn’t run.

You left this for her to find, trusting that she’d handle it.

She blinked down at the test again.

Her fingers loosened.

The fear was still there, lurking under her skin, but something else was rising up too—something warm and unfamiliar.

You were having a baby.

Her baby.

Jinx let out a breathless, slightly manic laugh.

She had to find you. Now.

And you had a lot of explaining to do.

̩̩͙‧͙*˚⁺‧͙ㅤ ওㅤㅤֺㅤ ⠀⠀✧ ⠀ ㅤֺㅤ ওㅤ ㅤ*̩̩͙‧͙*˚⁺‧͙

You took your time getting home, dragging your feet through the dimly lit streets of Zaun. Every step felt heavier than the last, your stomach in knots.

You had done it. You had left the test on her desk. You had given her time.

Now you had to face whatever came next.

But the closer you got, the more the fear crept in.

What if she freaked out?

What if she shut down?

What if she left?

Jinx had a habit of running from things that hurt. And this? This had the potential to destroy her.

Your hands were ice-cold when you finally reached the door. You hesitated, heart pounding so hard you could feel it in your throat.

Then, slowly, you pushed it open.

Jinx was standing in the middle of the room.

Her shoulders were hunched, her hands curled into fists at her sides. The pregnancy test was still clutched in her fingers, white-knuckled like she had been holding onto it for hours.

The moment she saw you, she went still.

Completely still.

Your breath caught.

She wasn’t smiling. She wasn’t moving toward you.

She was just staring.

The weight of it crushed you.

She didn’t want this.

You could see it in the way she held herself, in the way her fingers trembled slightly around the test, in the way her mouth parted like she wanted to say something but couldn’t force the words out.

Your stomach turned, a sick, hollow feeling settling in your chest.

She didn’t want this.

And that meant—

You swallowed hard, your voice coming out quiet, fragile.

“I can get rid of it.”

The second the words left your mouth, Jinx broke.

“No!”

Her voice was so sharp, so panicked that it actually made you flinch.

Your breath hitched.

For a moment, neither of you spoke. The room was suffocating, thick with something raw and unbearable.

Jinx’s breathing was uneven, her chest rising and falling too fast. She looked—

Terrified.

Not of you. Not of the baby.

Of losing you.

“You don’t—” her voice cracked, and she shook her head so violently her braids whipped around her shoulders. “Don’t say that. Don’t even think—”

You took a step back.

Jinx moved forward immediately, closing the distance like she was afraid you’d slip away if she didn’t grab hold of you now.

“You thought I didn’t want this?” she asked, voice strangled. “You thought I—?”

You had.

She saw it in your face.

Her expression twisted, something like hurt flashing behind her eyes, and it made your chest ache.

“Shit,” she breathed, voice cracking. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides. “I don’t—I don’t know how to do this, okay? I don’t know how to be—” Her throat bobbed. “I don’t even know how to be a person most days. How the hell am I supposed to be a—?”

She cut herself off.

Didn’t say the word.

Couldn’t.

The weight of it was too much.

You looked down, eyes burning. “Then maybe—”

“No,” she snapped, voice hoarse. “Don’t. Just—don’t.”

Jinx ran a shaking hand over her face, dragging her fingers through her hair.

“I want this,” she admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “I want you. I want—”

Her gaze dropped to your stomach, and something in her expression cracked.

“I want them.”

It was barely a breath, barely a sound, but it knocked the air from your lungs.

She looked lost, like she didn’t know how to want this but did anyway.

Your throat tightened.

“You do?”

Jinx let out a soft, broken laugh, but it was filled with confusion and fear. “I do,” she whispered, her eyes glossy. “I just don’t know how. I don’t know how to be ready for this. But I want to try. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to lose us.”

Her voice wavered, and she reached out, her hand trembling as she placed it gently on your stomach. It felt tentative, like she wasn’t sure if she had the right to touch you, like she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to have a future with you and the baby.

But her fingers lingered there, almost as though she were trying to feel something real, something to ground herself. Her breathing was shallow, her body stiff, like she was holding herself together by sheer will.

You didn’t know what to say.

You could see it in her eyes—the fear, the doubt, the overwhelming weight of everything crashing down at once. She loved you, she wanted you, she wanted the baby, but she was terrified. And the last thing she wanted was to ruin everything. She couldn’t bear to mess this up.

But all you could think about was the space between you, the way she was afraid to touch you too hard, like she might break something precious.

“I don’t want to do this alone,” Jinx muttered, her voice cracking as she looked up at you, her face twisted with desperation. “Please, don’t make me do this alone. I… I don’t know how to be a mom. I don’t even know how to fix myself half the time, let alone another person. But I swear to you, I’ll try. I’ll try, okay?”

Her words hung in the air, raw and painful, and you could feel your heart breaking for her. You reached out, pulling her close, wrapping your arms around her. She tensed at first, but then she melted into you, pressing her forehead against your shoulder, her body trembling.

“I’m not going anywhere,” you whispered, your voice thick with emotion. “I’m not leaving you. I’m not leaving this. We’ll figure it out. Together. I promise.”

Jinx clung to you tightly, as if she feared you would disappear if she let go for even a second. Her hands dug into your back, her nails pressing into your skin as though she were holding onto the last thread of stability in her life.

But even as she held onto you, you could feel her shaking. Her whole body was trembling with the weight of everything she was carrying—the fear, the guilt, the uncertainty. She was scared, and you could feel it in the way she breathed, in the way her fingers tightened around you, as if she thought she might lose her grip.

“You don’t have to do it all alone,” you whispered, your voice soothing, trying to reassure both her and yourself. “We don’t have to have it all figured out right now. We’ll take it one day at a time, okay? No pressure. We can be scared together.”

Jinx pulled back slightly, just enough to look you in the eyes. Her face was streaked with tears, her cheeks flushed, and her gaze was still full of uncertainty. But there was something else there, too. Something softer.

“I’m scared,” she admitted, her voice trembling. “I’m terrified. But I want this. I want you.”

Her confession hit you like a wave, crashing through the walls you’d built in your own heart. You couldn’t stop the tears that welled in your eyes, couldn’t stop the sob that escaped your throat. You didn’t want to be scared anymore, either. You didn’t want to doubt everything you had with her, everything that was coming next.

You kissed her then, gently, softly. It wasn’t a kiss of passion or desperation, but one of quiet understanding. Of shared fear, shared hope.

When you pulled away, you both stayed close, your foreheads resting against each other, breathing in unison.

“I’m not leaving,” you repeated, almost to yourself, as much as to her.

Jinx nodded, her breath shaky, but she didn’t pull away. “Promise?”

You smiled faintly through your tears, nodding in return. “I promise.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the silence between you stretch, the weight of everything pressing down on both of you. But there was a new understanding there now. An understanding that no matter how broken you both felt, no matter how terrifying the future seemed, you wouldn’t face it alone.

You had each other.

And that, for now, was enough.

YALL I LOVE THIS REQUEST!!

I want food

[writing-in-the-impala]

Secret Smokes (Part 15)

Pairing: Teacher! Remus Lupin x Reader

Series Summary: When the reader bumps into the new DADA professor on the bridge in Hogwarts she begins to build a friendship with him all thanks to their shared feeling of not belonging and love for muggle cigarettes. Their friendship blooms while they both fight internal battles deciding what is wrong and what is right leading to a lot of fluff, angst, flirting and a rollercoaster of emotions.

Warnings: Swearing, smoking, drinking, teacher-student relationship, angst, jealousy, fluff, smut.

Word Count: 2311

A/N: wow it's been a while I have no excuses I just have a soul-draining full-time job and no free time. Enjoy! I missed you all <3

 | SERIES MASTER LIST (All chapters) |

Previous Chapter, Part 15, Next Chapter

You spent the whole Sunday sulking as you walked around Hogsmeade trying to lift your own spirits. You couldn't take it anymore. On one hand you thought about how maybe you just need to go one a date with someone else to break this fixation you had on Remus on the other hand you felt like you may have a lot more than just a crush on him and that no one will be able to replace him. You simultaneously wanted to bump into him and to not see him for a few days. But something pushed you to try and force him into bumping into you. So you pulled out the marauders map and saw he was in his classroom. You went to the corridor adjacent and sat with a book waiting for him to walk out, yet the next time you checked the map he was in the library so you headed straight there. Once you arrived to the library he was nowhere to be found, you checked the map and saw he was walking towards the courtyard you followed him but couldn't catch up with him until you saw him disappear from the map. You knew he left Hogwarts, and you knew he was avoiding you as he probably saw where you were using his own map. It was hopeless. He was impossible.

Your next interaction with him was Monday morning in class, one of the only places he couldn't avoid you, especially that you knew he couldn't skip classes as he had to do so at the end of each month anyway. When you walked in Remus's eyes flicked to yours and then straight to the floor to avoid yours. He kept his composure well during class but spent the whole hour tapping his finger on his wand and falling over his words. He barely answered questions and took deep breaths. After the lesson finished he let out a sign simply saying "that's all, thank you very much. Remember keep studying I know you'll all do great." In this moment he gave you a short glance breathing in, closing his eyes slowly and turning to walk up to his office. As everyone funnelled out you followed him. "Professor, I have a question about one of the exams." You said nearly running up to catch him as he was already half way up the stairs.

"Miss L/N, I can't go into too much details about exams you know this. I'm sorry, I'm afraid I won't be of much use to you."

"But professor I just want to understand more." You pushed hugging your books for comfort and looking around as some students were still in the class, he shifted his body weights to his other leg.

"I'll be honest I've never ran a class through exams, you know I'm new to all this. It would be better for you to speak to a different professor on this subject." He pained and you knew you were both speaking in double meanings at this point.

"But you're the one I want to speak to as you are the one who teaches defence against the dark arts."

"Was I not clear that I'm not the right match for you on this topic when we last spoke about exams, I suggest Professor McGonagall could help." He said looking past you at the last few girls in the room both you aching for them to leave you you could speak normally as he knew you wouldn't leave and there wasn't much you could say like this.

"Yes I do understand that Professor however what she explained wasn't that clear either, it left me with a lot of questions specific to defence against the dark arts." At this moment the last two girls left saying "bye Professor Lupin." He said goodbye to them before turning back to you and saying "Follow me, let me see if I can help." You followed behind him, he held the door open for you and let you in his office first before shutting the door behind you, you didn't make yourself comfortable in the room but rather stood by the door. "You shouldn't speak to me like that while there's other students around." He said in a low tone.

"I needed to get your attention somehow."

"You know you've always got my attention." He words were almost a low growl.

"But you avoided me all Sunday."

"It's what's best for you." He took a step closer closing the space between you forcing you to look up if you want to look into his eyes.

"How do you know what's best for me?"

"Trust me I do." He leaned down his lips were an inch away from yours.

"Really?" You asked and his lips met yours as he moaned a "mhm" in confirmation. He pulled away to say "you know you really shouldn't act like that in my classroom while there's other students still leaving, begging me to talk to you, to give you attention." His words were making hot flashes go through your body as you said nothing just looked up at him. "Do you understand?" He asked and you nodded.

"Good girl." He said the words catching you off guard. He walked away from you to go and lean against his desk as you stood in the same place confused.

"I thought you were avoiding me?" You asked not understanding his sudden change in behaviour.

"I am." He said signalling for you to come closer with his hand and you followed his command. He stood up straight in front of the desk as you looked up at him he picked you up and put you down on the desk so you were now sitting on it.

"How is this avoiding me professor?" You ask him as he looked down at you, he got on his knees in front of you, his head at desk level as his hands moved up and down your thigh.

"Well right now we don't have to discuss all the stuff I'm avoiding." He said moving his head between your thighs and teasing you through your clothing.

"How are you so sure?" You asked as you resisted all the feelings he was sending through you.

"Because dear you can't even think straight and I haven't bent you over my desk yet." He said standing back up leaving you aching for him.

"Please don't stop." You said looking into his eyes that seemed a lot darker in this moment. He began to kiss you as he undressed you and you unbuttoned his shirt. He grabbed you by your hair to turn you around and bent you over his desk. You felt his body against you before he leaned down to whisper in your ear he took a deep breath and then he let you go and walked away sitting on the sofa opposite the desk while saying "I can't do this."

You turned around in confusion to see him buttoning back up his shirt, you quickly fixed yourself before questioning him. "What do you mean you can't do this? You started it!" You attempt to protest.

"and I'm ending it."

"So what happened to wanting to bend me over your desk?"

"I can't, I care about you too much. I don't want to throw you around this room like an object of desire. Don't get me wrong I do desire you, and you do something to me when you out me on the spot in public like that but I can't treat you like this."

"What if I want you to treat me like that?" You asked afraid of moving anywhere closer to him in the room.

"Then you don't understand your own worth." He simply stated.

"So now you won't speak to me or even sleep with me anymore?"

"You know I think it was William Blake who said sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires."

"Well if you studied Blake like I did you would know Blake is telling you to act on your unacted desires, unless you're telling me you would rather kill a infant in its cradle than kiss me again."

"You've got it wrong dear. I may have been homeschooled by my parents but don't underestimate how many hours I spent reading. The enacted desires are the things you should murder. If you nurse them, they must be in a cradle. They are the baby in a cradle so strangle your unacted desire, don't act on them."

You felt almost embarrassed at you pointing out school, you didn't know he was homeschooled but it made sense with his condition and the fact they moved constantly, it added up and now not only were you angry at Remus for his recent actions but you felt guilty for your own words. You didn't reply, the silence was thick before Remus breathed heavily and continued to speak.

"Therefore it's time for me to strangle mine, if you remember the day we went to the British Museum I asked you to promise that if you developed any strong feelings for me to tell me so we could cut it off before either of us gets hurt." He said and you nodded slowly to show you're following along. "Well I may have not been too truthful and I feel neither have you, and it has resulted in us both becoming victims of our own misfortune."

"Are you saying you have strong feelings for me Remus Lupin?" You asked feeling both nervous and excited.

"Not exactly, what I'm saying is there was a line that I tried to set and I believe somewhere that line became blurry. So after you left on my birthday I decided to establish that hard line again. I decided we will stop sleeping in my bed, we will stop all the cuddling nonsense and all the softness. However I simply can't do that Y/N, I can't be as stern and strict as I want to be with you."

"That's okay, I want to cuddle with you."

"I'm aware however I told you that day, I would like to take you on dates, I would like to walk around and hold your hand, I would like to bring you to see my friends especially during my birthday but we can't do that, I told you it will hurt to not be able to live in public, I didn't want to risk the pain for you. You deserve so much more than this." He looked weak.

"Can you not tell you're what I want no matter how many times you deny me?" You were almost in tears.

"I simply don't believe you understand what you're signing up for with me, and it's emphasised by you asking me to take you on dates, to go see Sirius, to go to my cottage. I always told you those weren't options with me especially while you study here but you didn't listen." He was angry but also frustrated like he was mainly fighting with himself.

"What if I didn't study here?"

"What? Y/N don't try and ruin your education?"

"No, as in when I finish. What happens then?"

"Then we're free, but then you have the burden of being associated with me.  I fear that the stigma attached to me will affect you before you even have a chance to become the amazing witch you can be."

"I don't care." You simply shrugged. "But would you take me on dates?" You asked and he thought for a second.

"Of course if you're not my student there no reason not to." He replied thoughtfully.

"Would I be able to visit Sirius with you?"

"It would be encouraged." He replied instantly.

"Okay, then we'll continue this whole conversation when I finish."

"So what happens now?"

"You tell me, you're the one who knows what's best for me." You said and he laughed for the first time since you entered this room. "Touché."

"I think we hold off for a little bit, you're right you know, I'm not being truthful about how attached I am to you. And I haven't been really seeing my friends this year because all I can think about is you." He gave you a sad but understanding nod. "So I think I should come here less, but I don't want to stop coming. Maybe we become a bit more casual, see each other every so often, I'd still like to be able to come for tea, listen to music and sometimes kiss you if that's okay."

"It's always okay." He said with a soft pained smile.

"Okay, so we do that, and when I finish school you can ask me out and show me what dating Remus Lupin is like, deal?"you put your hand out for him to shake.

"Deal." He said reaching out to shake your hand. "Would you like to stay exclusive still?"

"You don't?" You were caught off guard.

"No I do, but I'm not in my last year of school, I'm asking you?"

"I don't think I would be comfortable finding out you're kissing someone else, so could we please stay exclusive even if we don't see each other as often?" You asked nervously.

"Of course dear, now what would you like to do stay here with me today or go back to your friends I won't be offended if you leave right now."

"I'd like to stay." You said and he reached out his hand to pull you to sit beside him.

"I'm very proud of you for putting your foot down like this, don't get me wrong it hurts to know I'll see you less but I think you've acted more mature than me in all this."

"If we had it your way we would still be smoking and flirting on the bridge." You pointed out as Remus put and arm alright you and got comfortable making him laugh. You felt safe, and like you made the right decision. You hoped.

NEXT CHAPTER | More stuff I wrote

A/N: sorry for the angst I had to do it.

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[yamada-ryo]

Girls Band Cry had this shinkansen departure board for a total of 1 second and I couldn't resist checking it so

Nozomi 59: Mostly accurate. Nozomi 57 departs at 1812, Nozomi 59 usually departs much later around 1851.

Nozomi 83: Mostly accurate. The 1833 timeslot is usually used for a Hikari service.

Kodoma 753: 100% accurate.

Hikari 519: Partially accurate. Hikari 519 terminates at Okayama not Shin-Osaka and departs much earlier. The 1754 slot does terminate at Shin-Osaka.

Nozomi 85: Departs much later. A Kodoma service occupies the 1827 slot.

Nozomi 87: Departs exactly 1 hour later. the 1839 slot is used for a Shin-Osaka bound Nozomi service.

Note 1: Nozomi 85 and Nozomi 87 do not appear on the November 2022 timetable and only appear on the May 2023 timetable onwards. This may suggest that this photo would have been taken in December 2022 at the earliest. Note 2: Data from archived timetables 2111, 2211, 2304, 2311 and 2403.

[itsohh]

Despite Part 8

A/N: Female reader, thank you for the support! it really means a lot.

Summary: Waking up at night might have been the luckiest or most unlucky thing to ever happen to you.

Warnings: Canon typical violence, stalking, home invasion

Word count: 2311

AO3 Masterlist Part 7 Part 9

I hate it. I hate how I feel about you

-

It was late, very late. A week filled with work had taken its toll on you and only that night did you finally have a break. You had fallen asleep almost the second your head hit your pillow, completely exhausted. However, sleep wasn’t a linear activity that continued till morning. You woke up regardless of your tiredness. Slightly disoriented you looked towards the clock on your bedside table where you found the time to be three in the morning. There hadn't been a sound that had woken you. Everything was quiet, dark and peaceful. What had woken you was a tightness in your chest, it reached down to your stomach and you could help let out a deep breath. 

Anxiety swelled inside of you for no apparent reason. It hadn’t been from a dream and there wasn’t anything on your mind. Yet the feeling in your gut prevailed. You turned your head to the side and looked towards your lover who was still in a deep sleep. His sunglasses rested on the bedside table next to him and he seemed to sleep rather peacefully. It was one of your favourite sights purely due to how soft his face looked. Vulnerable. Stress-free. To see him there so comfortably helped ease that feeling inside of you. Dampen it just a tad. 

A piece of you wanted to reach out a brush away the stray strand of hair that fell across his eye but you didn’t dare, the likelihood of you waking him was rather high. Albert was probably the lightest sleeper you had ever encountered. A piece of you was tempted to do so and wake him up. You wanted to explain why you woke up but you avoided doing so. Albert was probably more tired than you were and you wanted him to get some rest. 

Slowly you slipped out of your bed and found your summer robe. It slipped on with ease and covered your otherwise naked body. Your feet quietly tiptoed on your wooden floor, careful not to stand on one of your creaky floorboards. The goal for you was your kitchen, water would hopefully soothe your anxiety. 

It was dark but you didn't bother to turn the light on. Your apartment was somewhere you were extremely familiar with, you found the path to the kitchen rather easy even without sight. It didn’t take long for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. Helped by the slight light that came from the kitchen window from the moon you were able to see your cabinets and open them up.  You grabbed a glass and filled it with water. The crisp coolness was soothing and you started to walk towards your bedroom when the hair on the back of your neck stood up. Time moved in slow motion as you turned to look at your front door only to see it wide open. Blood rushed to your ears and your entire body went cold.

A figure stood in the open frame.

The glass slipped from your hand and shattered on the wooden floor. Shock had you freeze completely and you didn’t dare to move. Years of training failed you as fear consumed your body. You didn’t have a weapon on you, you barely wore anything to cover yourself. If they had a gun there wouldn’t be a single thing that you could do. There wasn’t any immediate cover. Just you in the open space. The figure didn't move either. The pair of you just stared at each other in the dark. Perhaps you had surprised them? You took a step back, still so painfully aware of how defenceless you were. 

Then he spoke your name. Loud and clear you immediately recognised the voice. It was the one that had spent countless hours trying to call you. Your lips dried up and your body tensed up. After all that time, all those calls, you didn't think he would do anything more. The fact that he was there at your house dawned on you, he didn’t know where you lived. He would have had to follow you home. How long had he been watching you? He got through your door with ease, like he had planned it. Never did you think he would approach you again let alone stalk you. 

“What are you doing here?” You asked and tried to hide the fear in your voice. 

“You changed your number again.” His voice was accusatory and he took a single step towards you.

You didn't respond. 

“I had to see you. I knew that if we could talk we could sort this whole thing out.”

Normally you would have popped his bubble but the object in his hand made you hesitate. “You should go. We can forget this happened. I won't call the cops or anything but you need to go.” You finally settled. Despite your strong words, you couldn’t help but practically beg the man.

“No! We need to talk, they don't matter only we matter. We belong together.” He took a step forward and then you heard a sound next to you. 

“Leave.” Your head whipped to the side to see Albert. He only wore his pair of briefs and in his hand was his samurai aimed at the intruder, your stalker. 

“Who the hell is this?” The figure took a step forward and Albert clicked off the safety. “Another one of your fuck toys? You know no one can replace me-”

“Leave now or you will be forced to. Make your choice.” 

The man took a step towards you and Albert didn't hesitate to fire. A deafening sound echoed next to you. The gun was one that you had heard fire many times before, sometimes at the range and sometimes in the field. Yet none of those times could compare to the pure defining sound that echoed next to you. Its sound pulsed inside of you and sent a ripple of shivers all along your body. The sound so loud overpowered the silence around you and rang in your ears. It froze time for a second that felt like an eternity. Then your eyes went to the wound. At that range almost anyone could have killed the man, Albert wasn’t just any man. His accuracy with a gun with beyond normal abilities. If he wanted to he could have easily killed the man, shot him dead directly in the head. Yet, the wound was simply in the man's shoulder. Albert gave him another chance. 

The man let out a cry and immediately slapped his hand over the wound. Time sped up again and you watched with wide eyes. “Try again.” Waves of anger radiated off Albert but at the same time, you couldn't help but wonder if Albert wanted the man to fail his test. If he tried to approach you again would he kill him? Why didn’t he kill him in the first place?

“Please go.” You begged and his pained eyes looked from Albert to you. He took a step back. For a second you pressed your lips together. Would he leave? Were you worth the cost of his life? The answer didn’t take long to make itself known. He fled your apartment with great speed. Albert didn’t go after him, neither did you. For a couple of minutes afterwards both you and Albert just stood there, waiting to see if he would come back. 

He didn't. You were the first to move and turn the light on. You winced from the dramatic change, your eyes used to the darkness. Blood had fallen on a trail in the doorway but you made no move to clean it yet, your focus was the glass that had shattered over the floor. 

You went and got a hand brush and dustpan and started to sweep it up. What else could you do? The shock had started to leave your body and your years of desensitisation started to work in your favour. It cleared your mind and that sense of anxiety started to calm. Yet there was always a little bit at the bottom of your stomach. Right away you knew that you wouldn’t be able to relax in your apartment ever again. It wasn’t safe. 

Albert seemed to stay looking at the door, ready to attack like a guard dog. Eventually you cleared the glass and put it in the bin before you got a cloth and wiped up both the water and the blood. Albert approached the door and shut it. It automatically locked. 

“Who was that?” Albert finally asked. You could see that his jaw was locked, the strength of it was only rivaled by the tight grip that he had on his gun. His entire body was tense in a way you swore you had never seen before. Albert was a serious man but this was different, it was a controlled wild anger that could rip apart the world. You took the gun from his hand with some slight resistance and placed it on a nearby side table. 

“Dean Casta. He's a nurse at Raccoon General. Didn't know he knew how to fucking pick locks.”

“You should have woken me earlier.” 

“I was getting water, it was pure coincidence that I saw him. I didn’t get up to investigate.” A sigh left your mouth and you avoided Albert's gaze. “I don't want us to fight over this.” You mumbled. 

A breath left Albert's nose and his tense body relaxed slightly and he held out an arm. Without hesitation you slowly shuffled into it and hurried your face in his shoulder. 

“Thanks for looking after me.” Your worlds were slow, quiet and muffled into him.

“I told you I always look after what's mine.”

“Mmm, I don't think I'll be able to sleep after that.” You nervously laughed, exhaustion had taken its toll on you once again. The laugh was more of a wheeze, one of defeat

“Take the day off.” 

You looked up at the man and cracked a small smile. “I don't know if my boss will sign off on it.” 

His brows narrowed and he tightened his grip on you. It was obvious he didn't appreciate the joke. 

“Fuck I don't know how I'm ever gonna sleep properly in this place ever again. Gonna develop fucking paranoia.” You hugged him tighter and he let out a snap of his tongue. 

“Move in with me,” Albert said it so obviously, like it was the logical thing in the world. 

You pulled slightly back and toh shook your head. “No, I'll figure something out. I'll get more locks for my door or I'll change apartments-”

“Why not?” his eyes narrowed at you. 

“Albert I can't just move in with you. That's your space, it's always going to be yours. I'd always be a guest.” 

Albert looked over you into the distance for a moment as he absorbed the information together. “Then we find somewhere new. We can get a house together.” 

You gaped at the man and pulled back slightly but to little effect. His grip kept you from retreating. It was so sudden and just after what you had encountered… your mind went into overdrive.

“A house together? Albert that's a big step and what if things don't work out? All the legal side is going to be a pain and then one of us would-”

“Are you planning for failure?”

“I like to plan for all situations. Getting a house together is a huge deal and commitment.” You insisted.

“Marry me.” 

You blinked at the man. Your entire body froze. 

“What? Do you even know what you're asking?” Shock had you completely frozen in his grip and he elaborated. 

“You're concerned about commitment then let me commit to you. Stay with me until we find a place together.”

“You really want to get married?”

“I don't see why not.” 

“Albert our relationship would be public. Getting married? We’re moving so fast,  we've only been together like a year and there's still so much we don't know about each other.”

“All the better for us to learn in our marriage.” His hand gently stroked the side of your face. “I won't hold it against you if you say no.” 

“Gods, Albert I want to.” Your voice grew small “But going official? What about work?”

“It's happened before and it will happen again. It will not be a problem, I'll make sure of it.”

Slowly you nodded as you absorbed all the information, ultimately you had faith in the man. You looked into his waiting eyes and his hand gently touched the side of your face. “I know what I want. I want you by my side, forever.” On anyone else you would have brushed the words off, perhaps joked that they were a romantic. Yet as you stared into Albert's eyes you could see that he meant every single word. That was when you realised that his proposal wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing.

 It was something he had been thinking about for a while. A surge bloomed in your chest, yet this time it wasn’t anxiety or fear. It wasn’t that calmness that came with a level of desensitisation either. It was that warm brightness that consumed you whenever you were near the man. It was a warm fire on a winter day, the first light of sun in the darkest of nights, hope in the middle of devastation. It was that pure delight of love towards the man, one not often said but often shown. The thought of being by his side forever crushed the events not even ten minutes earlier and washed them from your mind. It gave you the answer to his question with ease without a second thought.

“Okay. I'll do it, I'll marry you.”

[fort-cozy-mcblanket]

In honor of Evil Author Day I'm going to share with you all parts of that WIP I was working on mostly in November 2023 (though also before that), which I've talked about here but never finished. This is the one based on the book The Humans by Matt Haig.

I do hope that one day I will come back to this and finish it, but for right now this is all I have to share. Enjoy it in all its unpolished glory and let me know what you think!

The Curse of Getting What You Want

Sheldon signed off on his newest equation with a small flourish and dropped his dry erase marker on the edge of the whiteboard.

This action was the beginning of the end.

It was 9:17 PM and, as far as Sheldon knew, he was the only living soul in the entire building. Though he had been so far in the zone, he may as well have been the only living soul on Earth. It was only now that he was done that he was starting to become aware of his surroundings. His office was a mess, but that always happened when he worked late like this, and anyway, that wasn't important right now. It wouldn't become important until later, when the office would be declared a crime scene. Right now, all that mattered was the whiteboard and the work it contained.

“I did it,” he whispered to himself. “I actually did it.”

And so he did.

What happened next was this. Sheldon stepped back to admire his work, and before his foot could reconnect with the carpet, the room was filled with a bright flash of green light. When the light faded, Sheldon was gone. The office was empty for approximately seventy-three seconds before a second flash of light came and the Replacement appeared. Although if anyone else had been observing, they would have thought Sheldon has reappeared.

The Replacement wasted no time. He didn't even glance around the room. He just went straight for the whiteboard and started furiously erasing the hours of work it contained.

XXX

Earlier that night, at 2311 N Lose Robles Ave . . .

Amy leaned back against the elevator wall, grocery bags at her sides. When the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, signaling her arrival on the fourth floor, she almost didn't want to move.

After she and Sheldon had been completely swept off their feet with their Nobel Prize win, she thought it would be nice to have things start to go back to normal. They had hardly taken any time at home between the awards ceremony in Sweden and the kick off tour to promote their work, and while it was fun at first, she had wanted to be home again. She had wanted to slow down on the interviews, take a break from all the guest appearances and lectures, and ease back into her own neurobiology research at Caltech. And Sheldon had agreed, so that's what they did.

She had wanted this.

So why wasn't she happy? Why did she feel even more exhausted now than she ever had while they were still accepting all those event invitations?

It had only been a few months since their win, but it felt like much longer. They had only been back home permanently for a couple weeks, but that somehow felt like much longer too, but in a different way. Amy's life was now split into three periods: Before Nobel, After Nobel, and that sweet, glorious time in between. The in-between time, during which she and Sheldon found out they had won, accepted the prize, traveled Europe together, lectured together, juggled media appearances together, and joined together every night before drifting off into a deep sleep in each other's arms.

It had been wonderful, but after a time, Amy had started to miss their friends. Penny, her bestie, was pregnant and it felt like she was missing everything. And she suspected Sheldon could only spend so long off his usual schedule before there would be problems. So they had returned to Pasadena, and there they remained. And there she was, now wondering why she cut that time short.

Maybe this was just the inevitable result of achieving a life-long goal. A certain level of melancholy, a certain feeling of listlessness. The unshakable sense of 'Well, now what?'

The curse of getting what you want.

But now wasn't the time to worry about that. It was her turn to make dinner, and she didn't want to keep her husband waiting, so she dragged herself and her bags out of the elevator just before the doors closed again.

The inside of apartment 4B was dark and quiet when Amy unlocked the door. The fact that Sheldon wasn't back from work yet wasn't concerning. Unlike her, Sheldon seemed to have no trouble going back to their previous life. With his deep love for the routine, she supposed it wasn't surprising. He had worked late every night so far that week, staying in his office at the university since Leonard and Penny were in the process of converting his old room/office across the hall into a nursery.

After dumping the groceries on the kitchen counter, Amy pulled out her phone and tried calling him to see if he had an ETA, but he didn't answer. No matter, he was probably in the zone again. She hung up without leaving a voicemail, opting to text him a quick check-in instead. It only bothered her a little, or at least that's what she told herself.

Minutes later, with the groceries put away and the text still unanswered, Amy was asleep on the couch in front of the TV.

Simultaneous Conflicting Answers

The Replacement had his orders. First eliminate all records of Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper's discovery, then eliminate anyone who knows about it. He intended to do it as quickly as possible, slight disorientation from his sudden descent to Earth be damned.

Once the whiteboard was clear, the next order of business was the laptop, which was still open and unlocked on the desk among a sea of sticky notes, open textbooks, and Red Vines. Primitive human technology. It was easy enough to navigate through the saved files and settings menu. The only thing he needed to do first, before destroying the machine, was check the email correspondence. How many people knew what Dr. Sheldon Cooper was currently working on? The Replacement went through the inbox and sent folder for clues, noting every name that appeared with high frequency.

Fowler.

Hofstadter.

Siebert.

Koothrappali

Wolowitz.

With that task complete, the Replacement went back into the settings, erased the hard drive, calmly closed the laptop, and threw it up against the far wall.

“What the frig, Cooper?”

The man who entered the office just then was not on the list of prime suspects from the Replacement's debriefing packet. Luckily, enough time had elapsed for his internal link to his host to activate, and he probed it in his mind until a name was provided.

“Kripke.”

“What happened? Did Amy kick you out?” Kripke asked, stepping closer. He smirked and gestured to the broken laptop. “Is that why you're here so late, taking out your frustrations--”

On an ordinary day, Barry Kripke should have known better than to provoke Sheldon with such an insinuation. On an ordinary day, this might have earned him a spot on Sheldon's enemies list.

But this was not an ordinary day, and this was not Sheldon, and the move proved to be fatal.

XXX

Meanwhile, at 2311 N Los Robles Ave . . .

Leonard shuffled across the darkened living room, trying to reach the door before the pounding started again and woke Penny. Who could be knocking at this hour, he didn't know, but at least it wasn't the dreaded triple-knock.

It turned out to be the next closest thing.

“Amy?” he spoke her name around a yawn as he opened the door. “What--?”

“Is Sheldon here?”

Leonard rubbed his eyes and stifled another yawn. “No. He's not with you?”

“He never came home. I had a long day and fell asleep almost as soon as I got back from the store. I just woke up and he's still not back and now he's not answering his phone.” Amy moved past Leonard into his apartment and started peering around in the gloom as if maybe Sheldon had snuck in without their noticing. Which, actually, wasn't out of the question, but when Leonard flipped the lights on they could see he really wasn't there.

“Maybe he fell asleep at his desk,” Leonard offered. He knew how hard his friend had been working recently and it seemed like the most likely explanation. Amy shook her head.

“I don't like this. Something's wrong, I just know it.”

“What's going on?” Penny emerged from the bedroom, eyes squinted almost-shut and hands resting on her swollen stomach. Leonard and Amy replied at the same time.

“Nothing.”

“Sheldon's missing.”

The two of them glared at each other while Penny looked back at forth between them, confused by their simultaneous conflicting answers. After a moment, Leonard sighed and turned to his wife.

“Okay, fine. Sheldon didn't come home from work. He's probably asleep in his office. I'm going to take Amy back to the university to get him. Go back to sleep.” He grabbed his keys while Amy gave him an appreciative look.

“What? No, I'm coming too,” Penny said.

“You need to rest,” Leonard argued.

“What if he's not in his office? You think I'm going to let you guys wander around campus at night? Come on.” Penny was already slipping on her shoes.

“I think we'll be okay,” Amy said, not wanting to drag her pregnant friend out so late. “Someone should stay here in case he comes back while we're gone.”

Penny was about to argue more, but just as she opened her mouth she was cut off by Amy's phone ringing. Amy held up one finger and turned away slightly, tapping the screen to answer.

“Hello?”

What followed was a short conversation. Leonard and Penny alternated between watching their friend and shooting questioning looks at each other until Amy hung up.

“That was Caltech security,” she explained, her face blank. “We have to go. Someone broke into Sheldon's office and now he's at the hospital.”

XXX

Meanwhile, somewhere entirely unknown . . .

It was supposed to be the perfect day, but it was all wrong.

Sheldon was supposed to be whisked away through the wormhole after a delicious breakfast of french toast with butter and syrup made with love by Amy, not in the middle of the night. He was supposed to be well-rested and well-nourished when the time came. Now everything was confusing. His head pounded dreadfully and strange images kept flashing through his mind. Something about cleaning his office and Kripke sprawled out on the floor for some reason. The most bizarre dream he'd ever had that didn't feature a gorn.

He floated for a while, not quite awake, letting the images wash over him without understanding why. When he finally came around enough to focus on his surroundings, it made even less sense.

This didn't look like millions of years in the future. This didn't look like anything at all. Sheldon seemed to be suspended in a void. He could move his limbs, but it took some effort and he didn't seem to go anywhere.

The images kept coming. The inside of a hospital. Amy with her eyes all shiny from tears. He felt his chest constrict. What happened to her? And what happened to him? What was happing to him right now?

Years ago, when he imagined this day, his perfect day, he had imagined he would be sent to the future alone. He had modified his vision since then. Amy was supposed to go with him now, they were supposed to use their combined intellects to save the human race. Why didn't they take Amy? Where was she?

“Amy?” he called out into the empty air, feeling some relief that he could at least hear himself speak, but that was all. He would have felt more relief if there had been an answer.

“Hello?” he tried again, but it was futile. The silence was absolute. It was just him and the awful pain in his head.

A Hollow, Gnawing Feeling

Amy, Leonard, and Penny piled into Leonard's car and left for the hospital without a word, too stunned by the turn of events to verbalize their thoughts. It was only after they had been on the road for a few minutes that Penny broke the silence.

“Amy? Did they say exactly what happened?”

Amy had been staring straight ahead and absently wringing her hands, but she blinked out of her reverie to answer her friend.

“Not really. Just that he was found injured in his office and there were signs of a struggle.”

“I'm sure it's nothing too serious,” Penny said, thinking of all the false alarms Amy had gotten in the past. It was entirely possible that Sheldon himself was the one who insisted on going to the hospital after a minor altercation that anyone else would brush off.

“I hope you're right,” Amy said. The fact that Sheldon hadn't made the phone to her call himself didn't bode well, so she didn't exactly feel comforted by Penny's assurances. However, just being with her friends and feeling their support was helpful. If she had been forced to make this journey to the hospital alone, she probably would have lost it.

Leonard frowned but kept quiet. It was hard for him to believe that someone would attack Sheldon in his own office. Sure, they had all fantasized about strangling him at one point or another, Sheldon had the kind of personality that inspired those kinds of thoughts, but no one ever actually did it. But with his increased notoriety brought on by his Nobel win, maybe this wasn't out of the question now.

Not much else was said as the trio pulled into the medical center parking lot. Amy was out of the car the second it stopped, leaving Leonard and Penny to scramble after her.

“Slow down, it's not like he's going anywhere,” Penny called after her. Amy gave no indication that she had heard. By the time Penny and Leonard made it through the hospital doors, Amy was already at the front desk, giving Sheldon's details to the nurse stationed there.

“They just took him in for some testing,” the nurse explained. “Please take a seat, a doctor will be out to speak to you shortly.”

“I don't want to sit down, I want to see my husband,” Amy said. She knew she was being irrational, but she couldn't help it. When Leonard and Penny took her by her arms and physically steered her towards the waiting room, though, she didn't fight it.

They all three settled in on the cramped plastic chairs, and Amy was tired enough that it almost felt comfortable. Why was she so tired? Was any of this really happening right now? It seemed like a terrible dream. Maybe if she was lucky, she'd wake up on the teal couch in 4B to Sheldon cooking dinner while admonishing her for slacking on her portion of their chore schedule, and none of the past several minutes would be true. A hollow, gnawing feeling in her stomach told her otherwise.

“Excuse me, are you here for Sheldon Cooper?”

Amy's head shot up, but it wasn't the doctor she was expecting. Instead, a police officer approached where they were seated.

“Y-yes, I'm his wife,” Amy answered. “What's going on?”

“That's what we're trying to figure out,” the police officer said. “I'm Officer Hackett. Can I ask you a few questions?”

“I guess,” Amy said, looking back at Leonard and Penny for reassurance.

“When was the last time you saw your husband?” Officer Hackett asked.

“This morning, we drove to work together,” Amy said. “Why?”

“Just trying to establish a timeline,” the officer said, jotting down some notes. “You both work at Caltech? What time did you arrive?”

“Around 9:15.”

“Would you say Sheldon had made some enemies at work?”

Amy hesitated. Of course Sheldon had enemies, at work and nearly everywhere else he went. He had them neatly organized into a list, but most of them were over petty squabbles, not anything that would escalate into a criminal case. Right?

“Officer, what's this all about?” Penny spoke up, sensing her friend needed help. Officer Hackett seemed taken aback to be addressed so forcefully by the pregnant woman in the waiting room. Leonard placed his hand on her shoulder in a show of silent support.

“We're opening up a murder investigation,” he said finally.

XXX

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the hospital . . .

Killing Barry Kripke may have been an overreaction.

Any witnesses had to be disposed of, of course, but now there was all the tedious cover up. If he had had more time to think, maybe there would have been an easier way. Oh well, it was too late now.

US criminal law was part of his debriefing, and he knew the consequences humans imposed for killing each other. He couldn't finish his mission if he got locked up for murder, so his only course of action was to fake a crime scene and a head injury. This, at least, would hopefully work in his favor.

The Replacement allowed the doctor to take him back for a CT scan, even though he knew it would reveal inexplicable abnormalities, the internal link for one. He needed the time in the exam room to think and plot his next move. Thankfully he had ways to make sure it would be overlooked.

“You're very lucky, Dr. Cooper,” the doctor who took him in for the scan said when he returned. “You have a very mild concussion, nothing we need to keep you here for. The nurse informed me that your wife and friends are here, I'm going to release you to their care.”

The Replacement found himself smiling for the first time. Everything was back on track. The next phase could begin.

Twin Moons

“I can't believe Kripke is dead.”

It was a sentiment expressed several times while they were still at the hospital, and Leonard was repeating it again now that all four of them were back in his car. Amy wished he would stop. She couldn't believe it either, and she was trying everything in her willpower to not think too much about it. If she thought too much about it, she would also have to think about how it was just through sheer dumb luck that Sheldon wasn't also dead right now. Luck that Sheldon didn't even believe in.

She glanced over at him, sitting beside her in the backseat. He was staring out the window, seemingly not paying attention to any of them. Amy didn't know what to think about that either. It was probably to be expected, he was concussed and also just witnessed a murder in what had previously been one of his safe spaces. Still, something just seemed wrong.

When the doctor had released him and he was suddenly there in front of her again, she hadn't hesitated to pull him into her arms, needing to be close to him after the terrible news they'd all gotten. Instead of returning the hug, though, he had just stood there stiffly, like how he used to when they had first started dating. Amy tried to brush it off, he had been through a great deal and he was never big on public displays of affection anyway and besides hospitals always made him uncomfortable.

Still . . .

“Sheldon, are you sure you didn't see who did this?” Penny asked, turning in the passenger seat to look at him. He slowly turned his head to meet her gaze.

“No,” he answered after a second. “No, I don't remember anything.”

The thought of some maniac wandering around the university made Amy's stomach churn. How were any of them supposed to go back to work there now? The police officer hadn't been very forthcoming with details, but from the little he did say, she knew they likely had no leads. He had interviewed Sheldon before they had left, but even that interview was surprisingly brief. There was nothing to go on.

Trying to halt her spiraling thoughts, Amy risked rejection once again and reached across the middle seat for Sheldon's hand. To her great relief, as soon as her fingers curled around his palm, he adjusted and held her hand back.

They faced each other there in the dark, the Pasadena nightlife streaking by outside the car windows. Amy looked into his eyes and tried to silently communicate to him everything she was feeling but couldn't say in front of their friends.

I love you.

I'm so glad you're okay.

We'll get through this together.

He stared passively back at her, but instead of feeling comforted and secure like she usually did when their eyes met, she felt a prickle of unease along her spine.

She looked away and mentally shook off the feeling. It was late, they were both traumatized and tired. Things would be better in the morning.

XXX

In the dark they laid side by side, Replacement husband and wife. Now that she was asleep, he could finally study her. Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, Dr. Sheldon Cooper's mate.

The Replacement understood that by human standards she was reasonably attractive, but all humans looked more or less the same to him. Her true defining feature was her brain, but that wasn't on display right now. Still, there was something about her. He could feel the animal warmth of her beside him, and the deep, even breaths from her chest.

When she had stared into his eyes earlier in the car, he noticed her own eyes were green, and they reminded him of the twin moons from his home planet. Something about that caused a strange, constricting feeling in his chest, and he was feeling it again now. It made him worry there was something wrong with the body they'd cloned for him to use. He'd have to monitor this closely.

Once they were safely alone inside the apartment, she had interrogated him briefly.

“Sheldon, what were you working on so late at night?” she had asked.

“You don't know what I was working on?” he asked back.

“Well, no,” she had said. “When I asked you before you just said you'd tell me once you figured it out.” She had a strange expression on her face that he couldn't place, despite the several hours he'd spent studying human nonverbal cues. “You don't remember?”

“It's not important,” he had quickly told her. “I had Kripke take a look at it, that's why he was in my office, and he said the math wasn't going to work out anyway.”

“You were working with Kripke?”

“That's why he was in my office,” he had repeated to her. Apparently that was the right thing to say, because after that, much to his relief, she dropped the subject and suggested they go to bed.

Which led him now, to this moment.

She shifted a little in the bed and he held his breath, waiting to see if she was going to wake up, but she went still again. He kept watching anyway. Did she even realize how vulnerable she was right now? Did she even suspect anything was amiss? He could end her life right now and it would be so easy. The only thing saving her was, as Sheldon's wife, she had to be the last. It would be too suspicious otherwise.

Amy made a soft sound and shifted again, this time turning from her back to her side, now fully facing him. The Replacement froze once again, suddenly irrationally worried that she had somehow heard his line of thinking and was about to confront him. But she was still deeply asleep.

The deep sleep of someone who had no idea they were doomed.

Verge

“Have you noticed Sheldon's been acting strange?” Amy asked.

“Is that a trick question?”

“Since the day I met him.”

Penny and Bernadette both replied at the same time with equally unhelpful answers. Amy frowned and turned her eyes away. She shouldn't have brought it up.

“We're kidding, we're kidding,” Penny quickly added, seeing her friend's response. “Tell us what's going on with Sheldon.”

It was a couple days later and the girls were out to brunch. Amy and the guys had all taken some time off from work in the wake of what had happened, but staying cooped up in the apartment with Sheldon was proving to be too much for her. She wasn't sure how to explain it, but something was different about him. At first she had tried to give him some grace, he had just gone through a terrible ordeal and he had a head injury, a little strange behavior was only to be expected. But her unease never went away, and somehow she got the feeling that something deeper was wrong.

“You know the night we got back from the hospital?” she started. “He told me Kripke was in his office because he asked him to look over his work.”

“So?” Bernadette asked.

“So, Sheldon has never willingly worked with Kripke before,” Amy said.

“I know they have some sort of rivalry or whatever,” Penny said, “but I thought that was over. I mean, he sang at your wedding, didn't he?”

“And isn't he sort of the reason you guys won the Nobel?” Bernadette added.

“They've been more cordial lately, yes, but it still seems weird that Sheldon would share his work with him,” Amy insisted. 'And not with me,' she added to herself in her head.

“Well, he was a fellow physicist, maybe whatever he was working on needed another physicist's expertise?” Bernadette suggested, as if she read her mind.

“And he was probably the only other one there,” Penny pointed out. “It was pretty late when this all happened, right?”

“I guess,” Amy said. Inwardly, something about it still didn't add up for her. “It's not just that, though. He's spent the past couple days going through old notebooks and he's thrown a bunch of stuff out.”

Amy stopped short of revealing Sheldon's secret storage unit and general inability to throw most things away and hoped her friends would still understand this was strange behavior. He even threw some of her own workbooks out and then yelled at her when she retrieved them from the trash.

“Maybe he just wants to start fresh after what happened?” Penny guessed. “Maybe all his old work reminds him of his office and the attack?”

“He has an eidetic memory, he's going to remember the attack whether he keeps reminders or not,” Amy said.

“It's only been a few days, just give him some more time,” Bernadette suggested. “You're a neuroscientist, you must have read studies on what trauma can do to the brain.”

This was true, of course, but it didn't make Amy feel any better. She picked at the food on her plate, unable to eat with the hard knot of worry in her stomach.

“He's also stopped sleep talking,” she told them.

“So there's a upside,” Penny said.

At that point, Amy decided to drop the subject. How could she explain to them that she missed drifting off to his voice? Or how during the previous night she had woken up from a dream and for a split second she was sure Sheldon had been staring at her from his side of the bed, but when she looked again his eyes were closed? Or how she was beginning to wonder if he was really sleeping at all?

Amy had known as soon as she asked her first question that her friends were likely not going to understand, but somehow she was still disappointed. Instead of reassurances that everything was in fact normal, or as normal as can be expected, she had wanted them to agree with her. She wanted someone else to say yes, something was wrong, and help her figure out what to do. She wanted to not be on her own, although she supposed she should just be used to that by now.

“Are you guys going to the funeral?” Bernadette asked after no one said anything for a few minutes.

“Sheldon says he wants to go, so yes,” Amy told her. “I haven't decided yet if it's a good idea or not.”

“It might be good for him,” Penny said. “Closure and all. He's big on that, right?”

“And we'll all be there for support,” Bernadette added.

“Thanks,” Amy said. “I have a feeling he will need it.”

'And so will I,' she added to herself in her head again.

XXX

The Replacement tore out another page from the notebook in his lap and carefully ripped it, tossing all the tiny pieces in the trash and then shaking the can so they fell to the bottom.

This wasn't how he wanted to go about this, but tossing out the notebooks all at once was proving to be too suspicious. Apparently Dr. Sheldon Cooper wasn't the type of person to throw things out, and his wife was starting to ask too many questions. He had to slow down. What could have been a one-day job was turning out to be several. It was frustrating. And what was worse, he got the impression that there was probably more work stored elsewhere. He probed the internal link, but it didn't give him anything useful.

But in the process he was learning a lot. Sheldon was remarkably brilliant, which he already knew since he was on the watch list for years, ever since they intercepted that communication he sent from Earth, but it was different when he could see his work like this. Sheldon was actually on the verge of several different discoveries that would have all lead to this same outcome. It seemed to be inevitable that he would finally crack one and the Balancer would have to step in, and of course that is what happened. Too bad Sheldon hadn't known when to leave things well enough alone.

His mate was also on the same path. He'd thrown out some of her work as well, though she had kicked up a fuss about it. And that truly was a shame, because the Replacement found that, as he spent more time with her, he did not really want to kill her. He liked her soft eyes and the gentle concern she showed for him, or rather for her husband, who's role for now was played by him. On their first morning together, she had carefully skimmed her fingertips over his temples and scalp, trying to find the wound he was supposed to have, and he had very nearly swooned from the sensation. No being had ever shown him that level of care or attention before.

It was a good thing she would go last, he might need that long to work up the nerve to go through with it.

As if summoned by his thoughts, the apartment door opened and Amy stepped inside. While she was throwing her keys in the bowl, he quickly hid the notebook behind a pillow on the couch. Thankfully, he had thought to turn the TV on earlier, so he could use that as his cover.

“Welcome back,” he greeted her.

“Hey,” she answered back. “I thought you were going to go hang out with the guys.”

“I decided to stay here and rest,” he quickly answered.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, sitting down beside him.

“Alright. A little tired.”

The Replacement could feel her eyes sweeping over him, inspecting him for any proof of the contrary. He suppressed a shiver.

“I was thinking,” she said after a few seconds, “are you sure you'll be okay to go to Barry's funeral tomorrow?”

“Of course,” he told her. “He was my colleague, I need to go pay my respects.”

“It's just, you've been through a lot,” she continued. “No one would blame you if you stayed home.”

“I need to go,” he reiterated.

It was going to be the perfect set up. Likely the entire physics department plus other Caltech faculty would be there. Basically everyone he needed to interrogate all in one place. There would be no better time to try to uncover if anyone else knew about Dr. Sheldon Cooper's latest work. He couldn't miss it.

“If your sure,” Amy said after another moment.

“I am,” he said.

When she got up from the couch and left for the bedroom without another word, he released a deep breath. The last thing he needed was more of her questions.

The Replacement allowed her to choose their evening meal and a movie to watch afterward, hoping that would keep her placid and agreeable. It seemed to do the trick and they spent the remainder of the day in companionable quiet.

The quiet lasted right up until a few hours after bedtime, when Amy started screaming in her sleep.

[vkooksupremacy]

Car Crash

Poly NCT Dream x Male Reader

"Okay everyone!" The dance instructer clapped his hands together. The group stood up, playfully pushing each other around to get into position. Jaemin's phone lit up, an incoming call vibrating his phone. He quickly ran to answer it, seeing their boyfriend's name on it. Y/N never called unless emergency.

"Y/N/N?"

"Hi, this isn't Mr L/N. Unfortunately, a truck driver lost control and hit the car. The driver and Mr L/N are both as ncinsxious at the hospital. Mr L/N is currently in surgery."

"W-which hospital?" Jaemin asked quickly, gaining the attention of the other remembers.

"Incheon University Hospital." The caller answered. "He was apparently going back to Hybe."

"Yes. Yeah. His group is under Hybe." Jaemin confirmed. "I'll be there soon."

He left without another word, leaving the Dreamies. They ran after him, only to see a black car pulling out of the driveway and Jaemin in the backseat talking to someone.

"Follow XXXXX." Mark said, pointing to the car Jaemin was in. The driver sped off, following Jaemin's car.

They reached the hospital five minutes later than the car in front. They ran in to see Jaemin at the counter.

"Mr L/N's awake." The nurse informed. "You can see him now."

Jaemin didn't even realize the rest of Dream had followed him. He race down the corridor to Room 2311.

"Y/N!" Jaemin panted, bursting into the room.

"Oh, hi Hyung!" Y/N grinned. His arm was in a cast, a bandage around his torso, and he looked exceptionally worse for wear.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt?" Jaemin babbled, rushing to the bed. The other members still had no clue what was going on, nor had Jaemin that they were behind him.

"Hyung, I think the others followed you." Y/N giggled, and Jaemin turned around.

"How they even got here, I don't know." Jaemin said defiantly. "I guess we have to explain. Look at their faces."

Their boyfriend's were all pale faced and shocked, making Y/N and Jaemin burs tinto laughter.

"He got into a car accident." Jaemin explained, once they'd calm down. A snicker or two would issue from Y/N every three seconds. "And - hush Y/N, Seventeen are on their way."

"Aish, Y/N, don't go out during peak hours. The schedules are epurposely fixed the way they are." Mark scolded. "Next time follow your schedule."

"Yes Hyung."

Masterlist

[irvinglawva]

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[medicalcosmeticenhancement]

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[theirvinglawfirm07]

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[piratesexmachine420]

Finally (fully) back from vacation! Here's a list of the coolest (IMO) aircraft I saw in D.C. (in no particular order)

Space shuttle orbiter OV-103 Discovery

Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, randomly flying over the national mall (in vertical/hover mode. No idea what the tail number was [if only I had binoculars...])

Concorde F-BVFA (not quite as cool as the other one [G-BOAG, at the Museum of Flight in Seattle] I've been to, 'cause you could go in that one, but nonetheless I could've walked around that aircraft for hours)

Various Horten Hos (Don't remember exactly which, Wikipedia lists 4 and I only noticed three. Definitely saw the 229 [parts of it, anyway])

Northrop N-1M

The 1903 Wright Flyer

Bell XV-15 N703NA (only surviving aircraft of its type)

Northrop M2-F3 (was unlabeled [and occupied the spot where X-1-1 should've been] fortunately the M2-F3 is extremely recognizable)

Gemini rogallo wing paraglider

Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet B1-a s/n 191301

Northrup P-61C Black Widow s/n 43-8330 (sue me, I'm a sucker for the P-61)

MacCready Gossamer Albatross

Stinson SR-10F Reliant NX-2311 (modified for nonstop airmail service)

Other thoughts:

This makes 2 out of 3 surviving fully-operational orbiters I've visited. Only Endeavour remains.

I also have yet to see Enterprise, and some of the more significant mockups and test articles (e.g. Pathfinder, Inspiration, etc.). One day, maybe...

Columbia (CM-107), Gemini IV, Gemini VII, and Freedom 7 (MR-3) were all very impressive.

Spacelab was equally impressive.

I could've spent a whole day looking at the lunar rock/regolith display alone.

I did not get to see X-15-1, X-1-1, a Lockheed U-2, SpaceShipOne, Skylab B, or the Apollo-Soyuz display. :( Here's hoping I'll be able to visit again...

The Sr-71 (s/n 61-7972) was also very impressive (as they always are) but IMO the M-21 (s/n 60-6940, only surviving aircraft of its type) at the Museum of Flight edges it out in coolness factor. Sorry, SR-71.

Basically every aircraft at the Udvar-Hazy center was so cool. I did get a little tired of the German WWII fighters and bombers though.

The MiG-21 (not totally sure about serial number) was also very uninspiring--not its fault, I just can't find in my heart to care about the MiG-21. Call me back when you're a MiG-25. (Or a MiG-105... *will almost certainly never go to Russia, sighs deeply*)

Shoutout to the SBD (s/n 10575) at the Chicago Midway airport. Did not expect to see that while searching for my concourse.

Anti-shoutout to the Trump-Vance campaign 737-800 I saw land at Reagan Natl. Apt. It was a little cool to see them wheel out the boarding stairs on the tarmac for them to deplane, but I have no love in my heart for that aircraft. Maybe once it resells to someone more... reputable.

I always forget that the early Wright bros. aircraft had their elevators in front of their wings--and indeed the rest of the aircraft. What was going on there.

Saw the Sonic Wind 1 rocket sled. It did not look pleasant.

Saw a prototype helicopter called the XHOE-1 (s/n 138652), which I'd never heard of, and was a truly baffling aircraft: a helo w/ blade-tip ramjets. What were Hiller smoking in the 1950s? I want some.

Neil Armstrong's A7L was sooooooo cool. (I personally would've been little more excited for an A7LB but you gotta respect the historic significance)

The Surveyor 3 TV camera was also soooooooooo cool. As I already said, if I was in charge of the National Air and Space Museum I would've dedicated the entire floor to the Surveyor 3 TV camera.

Cool engines I saw: XLR-99, F-1 (though I've seen some before, and on a Saturn V, no less), J58 (which I've also seen before, but it's still impressive), and an XLR-71 (Navaho rocket engine)

Saw a Corona re-entry capsule and a recovery hook, very neat

Also saw an S-IVB interstage (with LVDC!)

Unrelated to aerospace, but the Capitol Building is enormous. And racist. Enormously racist.

The White House, meanwhile, is about the size of a house. A big house, but a house. Go figure.

I could go on and on listing stuff, but I'll cap it off there. So much cool stuff... (Go look at the Smithsonian website if for whatever reason you're dying to know everything I may have seen.)

[cosmiccountdownkrp]

We welcome the following to the Cosmic Countdown! Please add Admin Cosmie in the next 48 hours or have your name scratched back off of the chart!

ENHYPEN's Yang Jungwon (0524) FROMIS_9's Roh Jisun (2311)

[tippysattic]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: McCalls Misses Dress or Jumper Sewing Pattern size 8-12.

[ao3feed-piltovers-finest]

Last line of defense

by UselessLesbian516

“Is that… real?” After several seconds Jinx managed to say.

“I don’t know” Was the coarse response of the big sister. Both sisters stayed there, looking at the news channel, where they saw a strange object that, as the reporter explained, had fallen from the sky just half an hour before. It looked like a capsule from space, the ones that appeared in tv shows and movies, the ones that were always piloted by aliens. It had a green color that glowed even in the daylight.

The camera suddenly changed the angle to show the sky, an enormous ovni float over the place, and just disappeared at ridiculous speed. When the camera came back to the capsule, what appeared to be a door was starting to open. Then the transmission just cut off.

---

Or there's an alien invasion on Earth and an organization called X-COM recruits the best candidates to save the world.

Words: 2311, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/F, F/M

Characters: Caitlyn (League of Legends), Vi (League of Legends), Jinx (League of Legends), Jayce (League of Legends), Vander (League of Legends), Grayson (Arcane: League of Legends), Mel Medarda, Viktor (League of Legends), Claggor (Arcane: League of Legends), Ekko (League of Legends), Mylo (Arcane: League of Legends), Cassandra Kiramman, Tobias Kiramman

Relationships: Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends), Ekko/Jinx (League of Legends), Jayce (League of Legends)/Mel Medarda

Additional Tags: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Alien Invasion, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, Ex-Convict Vi, Ex-Military Caitlyn, X-COM - Freeform, Angst, Fluff, Slow Burn, Enemies to Lovers, Blood and Violence, vi has trust issues, Jinx has night terrors, caitlyn has ptsd, Eventual Smut, Panic Attacks, Major Character Injury, Vi Needs a Hug (League of Legends), Caitlyn Needs a Hug (League of Legends), Useless Lesbians

Read on A03. from AO3 works tagged ‘Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends)’

[paulgadzikowski]

#why is chicago like this#< prev tags

It's not just Chicago. It may be GPS error.

I've ordered fast food through DoorDash twice, many years ago. The first time, meh, I don't remember so probably everything went fine. I think I'd ordered McDonalds. The second time, I think it was either Taco John's or Long John SIlver's, I waited an hour and a half to two hours and finally the order was cancelled. This is why it's been many years since I've ordered at DoorDash.

Shortly afterwards my grocery store stopped doing their deliveries themself and subcontracted to DoorDash. About half a dozen grocery deliveries monthly has taught me that GPS has my address wrong. They think 2311 is behind the security door at 2303 on the south side of the building when actuallly my door opens directly on the east side, the rear. There seems to be no effective way to put this in my ongoing customer records because HyVee isn't the delivery service and, in these instances, I'm not DoorDash's customer, HyVee is. I now put the information in the special instructions for every order (what I put in the special instructions for every order has mutated and evolved many times over the last three years) which the drivers receive but they don't always look at.

In the intervening time it has occurred to me that the GPS thing may be why my second direct Doordash delivery* went wrong. Writing out the story now makes me wonder whether trying it a third time with explicit delivery instructions might be useful...

*Master of unintentional alliteration!

This is my saga. (Transcript below images, behind the cut)

Transcript of a text message exchange between me and a few friends.

Me: My local Domino's sucked so bad last time they delivered to me that I stopped ordering from them like a year ago. Decided to get a pizza tonight and give them another chance…they no longer exist.

I then share a screengrab which states that my order was placed at 4:13pm today, but that Google's little preview window lists it as "Expected by January 9, 2024". This will be humorous later.

Me: Ordered from Little Caesars instead. They say my pizza will arrive sometime in the next four months. Also my delivery driver has been waiting to pick up my food for over 30 minutes. So they might not be wrong.

Friend K: Are you…cursed, Sam?

Me: Delivery driver bailed and was replaced with a new driver but when that happens the tracker doesn't understand what's going on, so now I'm watching my old delivery driver just drive off towards wrigleyville.

Friend K: NOOOOOO MY PIZZA

Me: As far as I know they still haven't made it. Nobody's picking up at the restaurant.

Friend C: You're gonna get a random pizza in four months.

Friend K: You'll be on your 734,845th driver by then.

Me: So the first driver was there for 30 minutes, got fed up, told the app the store was CLOSED, and left. Second driver heard the store was closed and didn't check, just left himself as the driver because he couldn't cancel an order at a closed restaurant. THIRD DRIVER has just arrived and confirmed the store is open but in the weeds. The pizza I ordered at 4:15 is arriving at 6pm, but I did get a refund because of the late delivery.

I then share a screengrab which shows the Doordash "tracker" map with a bold text header reading Your Order Was Cancelled. There is a large "top hat" emoji covering downtown Chicago so you all can't see my address in the app.

Me: …or this could happen.

Friend C: No pizza for u.

Me: I literally haven't ordered any food delivery in months because it just wasn't worth the hassle every time. This time I was like "maybe if I just chill it'll be fine." This is like the time I ordered Papa John's and they called me to break the tragic news that they were out of pepperoni.

[lonestarflight]

Launch of AS-102 (SA-7)

Liftoff of AS-102 Saturn I (BP-15/SA-7) from LC-37B. The mission objective was the final qualification flight for Saturn I launcher. This flight carried the boilerplate Apollo spacecraft BP-15 into low Earth orbit and testing lasted for five orbits (about seven and a half hours).

source

"The Saturn I, Block II rocket demonstrated vehicle and spacecraft compatibility and tested the launch escape system. The S-IV upper stage of the rocket consisted of a cluster of six RL-10 engines, which employed liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants to produce a combined thrust of 90,000 pounds."

"Diagram showing the trajectory and major events of the ascent of SA-7."

source

The spacecraft and its upper stage completed 59 orbits before reentering the atmosphere and crashing in the Indian Ocean on September 22, 1964.

Date: September 18, 1964

NASA ID: S64-12621, S64-30975, S64-30976, link, 105-KSC-64P-81, 64-H-2311